Eating on non fasting days

Fasting should be a part of an overall healthy lifestyle, so when it comes to your non fasting days, don’t think of them as a free for all. At the same time, because you’re fasting, you don’t need to feel restricted in your diet either. The key is not to try to make up for the caloric deficit you experienced on your fasting days. So don’t go hog wild and consume extra helpings of dinner or decide to splurge on a double scoop of ice cream.

The truth is, as hungry as you may feel when you first start out fasting, as you and your body become acclimated to fasting, you probably won’t feel like overindulging on your non fasting days. Studies have shown that participants who fasted actually didn’t overeat on their non fasting days, which underscores the important fact that fasting will help you control your appetite, not push it into the extreme.

So instead of obsessively eating (or not eating) certain foods, you’ll be able to free yourself from feelings of guilt and deprivation and will be able, instead, to simply enjoy the foods you do eat. Effectively, by freeing yourself from these negative feelings, you’ll put an end to what is known as the disinhibition effect that is, the effect that occurs when you overly restrict the foods you eat, which makes you want them all the more. For example: You forbid your self from eating pasta and wind up gorging on it because of the restriction you placed on yourself not to eat it.

If you aren’t restricting the foods you eat on your non fasting days, you can focus on eating the Paleo Diet for all around health and vitality. So on your non fasting days, as well as your fasting ones, we advocate doing away with refined grains, processed sugar, legumes, and most dairy.

You can utilize the GI even on your non fasting days. Although you shouldn’t feel like you must overly restrict yourself outside of your biweekly fasts, opting for low glycemic, healthful foods throughout the week can get you to your health and weight loss goals that much faster. The simple goal is to go back to eating as you normally would when you aren’t fasting. Don’t overin dulge and don’t gorge. Simply eat as you would to maintain your current body weight, and let fasting works its magic on your metabolism and your body composition. Listen to your body and know when to say when.

Identifying the No No Foods in diet plan

With a 500- to 600-calorie limit on your fasting days, you really do have to be judicious in what foods you’re consuming. That’s why the GI becomes especially important, as we note in the earlier section, “Grasping the importance of the glycemic index on the 5:2 Diet.” Stick to foods and beverages that are high in protein and have low GI scores. You’ll feel fuller longer and won’t experience that dreaded sugar crash and empty-stomach feeling.

Some foods and beverages to stay away from on your fasting days include the following:

Typical high-carbohydrate foods, such as pizza, pasta, white rice,and bread: Not only are high-carbohydrate foods full of empty calories, but they also have high GI scores, meaning they wreak havoc on blood sugar Sudden fluctuations in blood sugar levels will make fasting much more difficult and will negate fasting benefits, such as fat loss and increased insulin sensitivity.

Anything with refined or processed sugars in it (table sugar, high fruc-tose corn syrup, agave nectar, and so on): As you are trying to avoid filling your caloric limits on your fasting days with empty calories, don’t waste those 500 or 600 calories on simple Even honey and maple syrup two sweeteners that are better choices overall when it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth (but always in moderation) should be nixed for the two days a week that you’re fasting. If staying away from the sweet stuff is tough, just remember: It’s only a couple times a week that you have to say no thanks. Another added bonus to this is that giving up sugar a couple times a week will help you finally slay the sugar demon and break free of this highly addictive substance.

Be careful about adding sweeteners and such to your coffee. Although a cup of black coffee has a negligible five calories, a 16-ounce mocha has more than 260 calories 330 calories if you add whipped cream.

Soda (regular or diet), sports drinks, or juices: Americans typically get 140 to 180 calories per day from sugary drinks, like soda and sports Avoid drinking the diet versions as well.

Alcohol: A 2012 study found that, on average, Americans consume 300 calories per day in alcoholic It may not seem like a lot, but consider how much it can add up to in a week. Besides, many people are consuming much more than that each day. A 5 ounce glass of red wine has 125 calories. A regular 12 ounce beer contains more than 150 calories, and a double vodka and diet cola packs a whopping 258 calories. So imbibing in just one of these drinks can take a serious chunk out of the caloric limits on your fasting days.

Junk food, including chips, candy, pretzels, fruit snacks, buttery pop-corn,and so on: One of the many benefits of fasting is the cleansing effect it has on the Consuming junk food, which is notoriously full of nutritionally subpar ingredients, on your fasting days will only put the toxins that you’re trying to rid your body of back inside. Instead, stick to whole, natural, and preferably unpackaged foods during your fast days.